One Night in Miami Review: One Night To Be In Awe Of This Brilliant Film

Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, Eli Goree, Leslie Odom Jr.

Directed by: Regina King

Written by: Kemp Powers

Based on the original play by Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami is one of Amazon Prime’s latest original movies, it also features the directorial debut of Regina King, one of the most esteemed actors of our generation.

This is a historical fiction narrative inspired by actual events where four icons, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) gather one night at a motel room to discuss as well as debate their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.

There is not much to say in terms of plot, this is primarily a character-driven piece that showcases dynamic performances from great actors on the subject matter which remains very relevant in society today, especially in this political climate.

One Night In Miami Is All It Takes For The Cast To Captivate You

One Night In Miami showcases a rich cast with palpable energy among them, they don’t seem like friends, they seem more like brothers who genuinely care for each other regardless of how many times they may fight or clash over personalities or ideals.

Ben-Adir was phenomenal in his portrayal of Malcolm X. He embodied the spirit of a man at war in his commitment to the civil rights movement and invited us into his mind where his fears and hopes were on full display.

I’m accustomed to seeing Martin Luther King Jr. in movies, I have not seen many depictions of Malcolm X in the film so this was refreshing to see and Ben-Adir’s performance was nothing short of captivating. Cassius Clay who we know today as Muhammed Ali was perhaps the most fun to watch, there was a vibrant and youthful energy as well as the heart of a fighter present in Goree’s performance.

He was charismatic, confident, and had perfect comedic timing yet he was vulnerable, unsure of himself, and scared when he needed to be. Still, ultimately he’s a fighter who won’t back down from anything and it definitely shows.

Leslie Odom Jr. was fantastic as Sam Cooke, the King of Soul himself ladies and gentlemen. I must confess I became more excited to watch this film upon realizing Leslie was in it and he did not disappoint me not even in the slightest. He gave a brilliant performance to contrast Ben-Adir’s Malcolm X as the conflict between the two was a focal point of the movie.

Not only does he have the inner workings of a great actor but the inner workings of a great vocalist as fellow Hamilton fans would know. Hodge’s Jim Brown was a little disappointing for me because he wasn’t in the spotlight as much as his fellow cast-mates were which is a shame because Hodge is a terrific actor and delivered magnetic performances the few times the spotlight was on him.

I do feel like he was under-utilized, we saw his ambition, his zeal for life, his concern, and his rage but we could have seen more and we should have.

Beautiful Literature Behind One Night In Miami

One Night In Miami boasted masterful writing all thanks to the screenwriter Kemps Powers. The dialogue alone runs into you with the full force of a freight train packed with realism and the weight of years of racism. However, he does take some of the pressure off with some of the banter in the script and there’s something very refreshing about seeing these four iconic figures converse like brothers.

The story structure is very unique considering the majority of the movie takes place in one room, it almost feels like they’re confined there and have no choice but, to be honest, and have difficult discussions.

Make Way For Regina King, A Rightful Monarch Of Cinema

We know Regina King as an actress, and now we know her as a director, and let me just say, “hats off to the director” because she was great, especially for her first film. She knew the script inside and out and delivered a high standard of performance from a group of excellent actors.

You can tell this movie was a true passion project for Regina as a black woman combatting endless systematic racism and she made her voice heard loud and clear in this film.

One Night in Miami was very insightful and thought-provoking to watch especially with the way things are in this world today it didn’t need to show us anything graphic or violent, it conveyed a powerful message using mostly dialogue and as a pacifist myself I do appreciate that.

All in all, this was an excellent movie, it may not be for everyone if you do not like drama then this most likely is not for you. However, if you like drama or are open to all structures of storytelling that focus on socially relevant topics then I strongly suggest you watch One Night in Miami.

One Night In Miami is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

I do wish I could’ve been there conversing with those gentlemen in One Night in Miami. I’ll just have to settle for writing this review.

Will you be watching One Night In Miami? Are you looking forward to Regina King’s directorial debut? Let us know in the comments below.

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